


as deep as the ocean; as high as the sky

by guardyanangel



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: 5am, AU, F/F, F/M, Multi, and, mainly, mostly just mentions of those last four characters, polyamorous, post-ZRS2M20, sam/five/sara/janine, sara/janine but definitely moving towards 5/8 by the end, the most vague summary ever to summary i'm soRRY, vaguely, zrs2, zrs2 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 21:25:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3183701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guardyanangel/pseuds/guardyanangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Together we can face any challenges as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky." -Sonia Ghandi. AU where certain things didn't happen in ZRS2 (more elaboration in the notes.)</p><p>In which tragedy strikes, and Runners move on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	as deep as the ocean; as high as the sky

**Author's Note:**

> For the Iron Zombies challenge, inspired by the following prompts:  
> http://oi58.tinypic.com/35mr13p.jpg  
> http://oi61.tinypic.com/28jgum8.jpg  
> http://oi62.tinypic.com/24qthlu.jpg
> 
> AU post-Galvanize (ZRS2M20) where the NC Runners don't come in time and Abel is destroyed. Somehow I didn't feel like Five, at least, would want to stick around.
> 
> Also, heartbreak warning for dialogue/concepts drawn from ZR3M5 (Walk of Life,) but no spoilers because those circumstances would have drastically differed in this universe. Also, warning that this is horribly un-betaed.

_“Listen. I—I just wanted to say. It’s been an honour, being your operator. All of you. Always chipper Runner Three. Runner Back-from-the-dead Eight. And Runner Five… Five? I know I never said, but…”_

Five couldn’t stop hearing the echoes of Sam’s words in their ears, long, long after the radio had gone silent and the zombies had overrun Abel. His goodbye kept running through their mind even when it was safe to climb down from the trees in which Five and the other Runners had taken refuge in.

It was only Sara, calling up to them with that same no-nonsense tone she always had despite the grief, that had Five climbing back down again.

_(Sara was always the one that could get through to them. Sara and, well. Sam.)_

Evan, Jody, and Simon had chosen to go to New Canton. Five and Sara had gone for a couple days, but it hadn’t felt right. They’d joined the team that was sent out to see if there was anything salvageable in the ruins of their old Township the moment they got the chance.

Five managed to find a few of their things still in intact. Found themselves, without really knowing how, on their knees in the comms shack, clutching Sam’s green hoodie to their chest.

Sara found them, then—Sara was always the one to find them—and when Five looked up at her, she read what the other _(former)_ Runner was thinking without speaking.

“I know a place we can get a boat and fuel,” she said, “We’ll leave the day after tomorrow.”

Five couldn’t smile, but the gentle squeeze of Sara’s hand resting on their shoulder said plenty.

~*~

Now, Five and Sara were standing at the edge of the water, boat before them and what meager supplies they’d managed to gather together at their feet. Five, lost once more in hearing the echoes of Sam’s voice in their mind, started only slightly at Sara nudging her elbow against theirs.

“I always wanted to go back to the ocean,” she said, eyes unreadable as ever but voice surprisingly soft, “I didn’t think it’d be like this.”

Five, thinking of Sam and everything they’d hoped would happen between them—everything that might have been—nodded slowly.

Sara nodded back, offering Five a thin smile, “Are you ready?”

Five nodded, grabbed their supplies while Sara readied the boat. They clambered in in silence, started the motor after one more nod of confirmation shared between the two of them.

When they were out far enough, Sara reached to the bottom of the boat and lifted out one urn, handing the other to Five with delicate silence _(they’d found Sam and Janine eventually. The only consolation was that they hadn’t gone completely grey before the end—if that was any sort of consolation at all.)_

“Here’s good.” Sara said, and Five agreed. They opened the urn, giving the container a good shake as they let their friends _(almost more_ , _but not more now)_ free on the wind.

Five blinked back tears unsuccessfully. Sara squeezed their shoulder with a tight expression on her face.

“They were—good people,” she said, gruffly, “I’m certain they’re… in a better place.”

Five shrugged, and then fell into Sara’s open arms when the sobs abruptly broke loose. Sara held them a little closer, and Five thought they could feel her shoulders trembling but didn’t have the strength to see if it was the case.

 There, with the boat heading out into who knew what sort of tomorrow, they let themselves grieve; the silence between them full of the things they wanted to say to the dead that they never could.

_“Five? I know I never said, but…”_

Five buried their face more against Sara’s shoulder as Sam’s words echoed through their mind again.

_I miss you, Sam._

_“—I love you.”_

_I love you, too._


End file.
